Critical Care Newsline — December 23, 2010

Critical Care Newsline, the electronic newsletter from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, contains information selected just for you by our clinical practice experts. In each issue, you’ll find links to resources, research abstracts (individual sites may require registration and a fee to access complete articles) and websites that will keep you informed on issues affecting nurses and the nursing profession.

December 22, 2010

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1. CALL TO ACTION Apply to attend AONE’s Aspiring Nurse Leader Institute
2. CALL TO ACTION Participate in ACNPC and CCNS Studies of Practice surveys
3. NEWS ISMP reports good news for preventing tubing misconnections, states ISMP
4. EVIDENCE Most Medicare stroke patients rehospitalized or dead within a year
5. NEWS JFP M.D. editor supports full partnership with APRNs
6. CALL TO ACTION TJC invites comments on proposed NPSGs
7. CALL TO ACTION Apply for HHS-CCSC HAI Award
8. CLINICAL PRACTICE RESOURCES9. AACN RESOURCES Patient/family conferences pocket card
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1. CALL TO ACTION Apply to attend AONE’s Aspiring Nurse Leader Institute
The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) holds its semi-annual Aspiring Nurse Leader Institute, which takes place June 20-23, 2011, in Indianapolis. Apply for an AACN Continuing Professional Development Scholarship to attend. Qualified applicants must be current members of both AACN and AONE. Visit AACN’s special interest scholarships page for details on eligibility and application requirements. AACN offers special interest scholarships — such as those offered through the Arizona State University College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Phoenix, and the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland — to help members attend evidence-based nursing practice programs.

2. CALL TO ACTION Participate in ACNPC and CCNS Studies of Practice surveys
AACN Certification Corporation is conducting two national Studies of Practice to collect evidence-based information that will be used to update ACNPC and CCNS test plans, inform the Scope and Standards of Practice for the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and enhance resources for advanced practice nurses. Acute care and gerontology nurse practitioners are invited to participate in the ACNPC Study of Practice. CCNSs and adult, gerontology and pediatric CNSs are invited to participate in the CCNS Study of Practice. Each survey takes about 30 minutes to complete. Participants will be entered into a drawing to win one of four regional gift cards and main conference registration for the 2011 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, Chicago, which takes place Saturday, April 30, through Thursday, May 5, 2011. Survey deadline is Jan. 31, 2011.

4. EVIDENCE Most Medicare stroke patients rehospitalized or dead within a year
Nearly two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries who suffer an ischemic stroke die or are readmitted to the hospital within one year of discharge according to a study published online Dec. 16 by Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. “These findings underscore the need to better understand the patterns and causes of deaths and readmission after ischemic stroke and to develop strategies aimed at avoiding those that are preventable,” concludes “Hospital-Level Variation in Mortality and Rehospitalization for Medicare Beneficiaries With Acute Ischemic Stroke” — a study of 91,124 Medicare beneficiaries at 625 hospitals.

5. NEWS JFP M.D. editor supports full partnership with APRNs
In his December editorial for The Journal of Family Practice (JFP), Jeff Susman, M.D., editor-in-chief, calls on physicians to “embrace a full partnership” with APRNs. “It’s Time to Collaborate—Not Compete—with NPs” states that arguments against APRN independent practice “don’t hold up.” Continued resistance will erode support among physicians’ key stakeholders while joining forces with APRNs “will lead to the best health outcomes.”

7. CALL TO ACTION Apply for HHS-CCSC HAI Award
Apply by Jan. 29 for national awards recognizing sustained improvements in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in critical care. Sponsored by AACN, a member of the Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC), and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, and Office of Healthcare Quality, the awards emphasize success related to reducing central line-associated infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Visit www.aacn.org/hhs-ccsc-award for eligibility, selection criteria and application requirements.

8. CLINICAL PRACTICE RESOURCES
Patient safetyA December patient safety news broadcast reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Md., and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, recommend that “whenever possible, blood glucose meters should be used for one patient only” to avoid the risk of hepatitis B virus transmission.

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